The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1887-03-31
sMuoeLERs, TRICKS.
Various Ways ofIntroducIng Precious Gen
Into the United States.

Into the United states.
1t was stated few months ago in
an American paper that rich mans
wife wore upon her neck and breast
every evening precious stones of the
value of E40, 900, other ladies displaying
Jewels to n lesser amount Nor are
American ladies free from the charge
of smuggling; many of them, indeed,
are adopts at the business, able to inn
part secret or two to the professionals.
During recent Saratoga season ono
lady was heard to boast that she had
brought over suit of diamonds in the
heels Of several pairs of slippers, which
she had made on purpose to contain
them. These dainty articles were osten-
tatiously displayed and taken notice of
by the searchers; but the heels were not
suspected of being hollow or to contain
diamonds. Hollow heeled boots were
at one time greatly in use as part OF
the smuggling machinery That mode of
carving on the illicit traffic was ulti-
mately discovered by an under
steward of an American liner,
who, for q consideration, COM
municated the secret to the GUS
tom house authorities. Then fol-
lowed series of contrivances in the
shape of double-bottomed trunks, va
| Uses with secret pockets, desks with in
side drawers and guns and pistols which
were so contrived rs to contain few
of the much coveted gems. All these
contrivances were in turn discovered;
they were just the kind of concealments
which the officers had their thoughts
fixed upon. just as the customs author
| tiles were under the impression that
they had suppressed the Illicit traffic, a
new era in gem smuggling was inaugn'
rated, and more diamonds reached the
United States duty free than before.
Smuggling, it may be said, developed
into fine art; at all events, the incidence
of the trade for brief period became
SO simple as to seem like child's play;
indeed, children were made to play an
important part in the business A story
which lately became public shows how
well the modern diamond smugglers had
laid to heart Poe's precepts. "Pleaseto
hold my baby while my husband helps
me to open my trunks; he will be quite
good if you will shake his rattle" said
lady passenger to the officer who was
waiting to look over her travelling
gear. And that officer good-humoredly
did as he was requested, shaking the
rattle to the great delight of the little
one. The rattle in question. which,
fastened to a ribbon, was tied to the
child's wrist, was filled with gems of
great value, mode of smuggling that
at the time was too simple for detection,
A clever woman, attired in the costume
of q Sister of Mercy was passed over by
the officers because she had no luggage
worth examining, She possessed, how
ever, a fine string of beads which, with
downcast eyes, she kept telling. Safe
on land, she was aifectionately wei
coined by two persons dressed in cos
tunes similar to her own. Need it be
told that she was a smuggler, and that
her beads were so constructed that each
held diamond weighing seven or eight
carats2 Another ingenious person hit
upon the plan of placing few precious
stones in toy kaleidoscope, which had
been given to child who carried it
ashore in safety. A number of homing
pigeons, kept in cages and purchased
at village in Belgium and brought
to the United States by way of Paris
and Havre, also played profitable part,
each pigeon being freighted with n
cargo Of exquisite gems concealed in
quilts, and carefully fastened to the
message bearing dove. An extensive
system of diamond smuggling was at
one time carried on from Canadian
ground by the aid of homing pigeons.
The discovery of this illicit trade was
made accidentally by farmer, who hap
pened to shoot one of the birds, and on
examining it found that there was fast
ened to its leg quill containing num-
Der of diamonds! A clew being OBJ
tained the local habitation Of the pigeon
proprietors was discovered and their
mode of business put an end to. The
scheme, stated simply, was to fly every
week or ten days a flock of dozen or
fifteen pigeons, each carrying about
half dozen gems. As the duty on dia-
monds amounts to ten per cent the
trouble taken to smuggle these gems in
to the United States does not seem so
very remarkable. The value of the
stones honestly imported into the United
States is between IS, 200, 900 and $4,000
900 per annum, and it has been calcu-
lated that gems to half that sum escape
payment of the duty. Chambers jour
nal.